Everton wanted AC Milan midfielder Andrea Bertolacci in the summer of 2015 but they will be thankful they missed out.
Everton could be forgiven for wiping the sweat from their brow as AC Milan look set to cut their losses on Andrea Bertolacci.
Just two summers ago, the talented midfielder was one of the most highly regarded rising stars of Serie A football. He exploded onto the scene with six goals in eight games for a thrilling Genoa side blessed with the creative talents of Diego Perotti and Iago Falque, helping them finish sixth in the Italian top flight.
Bertolacci’s Genoa form earned him a place in Italy’s squad
Consequently, Tuttomercatoweb claimed that Everton were battling Napoli for Bertolacci’s £18 million-rated signature. It is worth noting at the time that the Toffees were not backed by billionaire investor Farhad Moshiri in 2015, and spending a combined £100 million in a single transfer market was nothing other than a pipe dream.
In the end, however, Bertolacci put pen to paper at AC Milan. Though it is fair to say the move has not exactly gone to plan. The 26-year-old became something of a symbol of this historic club’s malaise, scoring and assisting one goal apiece in a disappointing debut season as the Rossineri again missed out on European football.
And though they made a marked improvement under Vincenzo Montella last season, injuries restricted Bertolacci to just nine Serie A starts.
And the big money signings of Hakan Calhanoglu from Bayer Leverkusen and Franck Kessie from Atalanta mean Bertolacci’s Milan dream is likely to die this summer.
As a result, Football Italia claim that Milan will now cut their losses and accept offers of just £8 million for the forgotten man. Which suggests Everton benefited from a rather lucky escape.
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